Budget Increase Recommendations Handed To Contra Costa Supervisors

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — Contra Costa County staff recommends the Board of Supervisors spend $5.4 million more on Contra Costa CARES than was initially estimated in the county's 2022-23 budget.

The board is set to consider budget recommendations Tuesday for fiscal year 2022-23.

Much of the public comment from the board's April 12 budget hearing centered on the CARES program, Sheriff's department staffing in unincorporated areas, increasing wages for county employees, wellness programs for African American residents and tenant legal services.

Staff has come back with various recommendations, including increasing spending on the CARES program, which connects uninsured and undocumented residents to healthcare services.

The initial plan was to increase monthly provider rates and add a behavioral care component. Supervisors also expressed interest in covering more people and expanding outreach activities.

County health officials have come back with an analysis, saying existing funding covers approximately 2,000 of the projected 12,000 uninsured residents. Covering the other 10,000 would cost $4.9 million. New recommendations also say the outreach budget needs to be increased from $300,000 to $800,000.

The county administrator also recommends adding three positions to the overloaded public defender's office, which has asked for an additional $1.8 million for Stand Together Contra Costa, a discretionary legal services program for immigrants. The county administrator is not recommending additional funding for the project.

The board also asked for staffing levels at the Contra Costa Sheriff's Office relative to unincorporated areas. Tuesday's staff report says the Sheriff's Office currently deploys 133 patrol deputies. Using 2020 Census numbers. The current ratio of deputies to 1,000 residents in unincorporated areas is 0.76.

The staff report says FBI data from 2019 says the national average was 2.4 per 1,000 inhabitants. The report suggests the Sheriff's Office add 39 new positions.

The budget document also recommends the Contra Costa Fire Protection District add 21 new positions, the county probation department add 11 positions, county animal services add six positions, the assessor's office add five positions, and various other departments add new jobs as well. The only department in which job cuts are recommended is in health services, where eliminating 15 current vacancies is recommended.

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors meets at 9 a.m. at the board's chambers, located in the county administration building, 1025 Escobar Street, Martinez. The meeting can be viewed at www.contracosta.ca.gov.

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--Bay City News